Still Even More Reviews for Matt's Greece Travel Guide

Dear Matt

just a short note to let you know my wife and I have just spent a fantastic week in and around Nafplio. Your site was of immense help especially with booking a hotel in Athens...as you predicted the Attalos was booked full well in advance and we ended up at the Cecil which was ok. Mention should be made of the place we stayed in Nafplio - the Omorfi Poli guest house. The owner Ms.Tsagaraki really went out of her way to make us feel welcome - even delivering breakfast to our room on the night before when we intended leaving before breakfast on the morning after. What's more I had our room booked six or seven weeks in advance simply on TRUST AND NO CANCELLATION POLICY as the Omorfi does not accept credit cards. That indeed speaks volumes about the place. There is also a very useful site about Nafplio called www.nauplia.com it is an amatuer site run by an italian guy who has a place for rent there but it also has plenty of very useful info like bus schedules / restaurants/places of interest/beaches and the like.

Funnily enough having visited over 35 countries I never had much curiosity about Greece which is only 1hr and a half away by air but

this visit sure changed my perspective. Well the Greeks may not all be the friendliest of people but we encountered no hassle at all ( except for a truly rude woman at Nafplio bus station ) and we even got round the Athens taxi strike ...by paying a bit more and me sitting next to the driver !! We also found some exceptional kindness - the old nuns at Aiya Moni Monastery just outside Nafplio for example - they opened up their 12th century

church for us to see and they even phoned for a taxi for us - and none of them spoke a word of English !

I enclose two cute pics from Greece - elderly people navigating a steep and tricky ramp at Palamidi and a warning sign at Athens

National gardens. You're welcome to use on your site if you wish

- I have plenty more pics of Nafplio in fact if you need any.

Finally - I also fell in love with the ouzo.

Best Wishes from Malta

Steven Bonello

Hi Matt.

First of all, thanks. Because of your website, I had the best vacation of
my life last year (Athens, Sifnos, Santorini). I read all your info and
booked through Aegean Thesaurus.

Now I'm stuck. I'm trying to plan a trip to Italy (Florence area) for my
honeymoon and can't find any information or websites anywhere near as
helpful as your Greece one. Do you know of any Italy resources? Do you
have any Italy suggestions?

Thanks again,
Dan Perrigan

Hi Matt
Your site is brilliant!!!! I've been going to Greece for years and only found your site recently. Maybe if I had found it before I wouldn't have done some of the things I did...but then again..it wouldn't have been the same experience!

I love the eccentricity of Greece! The way you portray it on your site matches my experiences too. We are really lucky to have friends in Athens so having inside information and going on holiday with Greek people certainly adds a whole new dimension ....last year we went to Kythira by ourselves and Ikaria with half of the population of Tavros! Both beautiful islands but Ikaria was favourite because of the local knowledge George, our friend has.
I've just read about Kea and am desperate to go....so when we're next in Athens, we're off there.

can you send me your newsletter?

Some news for you...Yiannis and Jane Halkitis who run the amazing Selene restaurant , Myrties, Kalymnos have sold the restaurant but are re-opening the closed Christina hotel round the corner. I know people fromthe Selene website have been in touch about the dying tourist industry on Kalymnos...the website is staying and the bar in the hotel will be called Selene........we're still working hard with the tourist minister to try to improve things for Kalymnians but it's hard going.....

Keep up the great work.....

Maggie

Hi Matt. I'm just back from my trip to Greece, and it was the best trip I've ever taken. I can now understand why you, and so many others, return every year. I will be doing the same. I want to thank you for all your help. I don't know if you remember or not, but you answered several emails of mine. I met the sandal maker in Athens, and he said hello. I have posted many of my pictures on a website, if you care to take a look.

http://homepage.mac.com/ncoutroulis/PhotoAlbum3.html

Thanks again, and perhaps next year i'll see you in Greece.

Best regards

Niko Coutroulis
NYC

Just wanted to say how I like your travel pages and how well I can relate to them. Like you I am a lover of Greece having a partner who until recently had lived in Greece for 13 years. She lived in Piraeus but one of her favourite places was Aegina and she lived in Agia Marina every summer. Since meeting we have been frequent visitors to Greece and toured round a lot (although there is a whole lot more to see!), but we always try to go and visit everyone we know on Aegina. It was a real pleasure to read you page on Aegina and in particular Agia Marina because all the usual guides tend to rubbish it but while it is a bit tacky it is very much full of real Greeks living just the way Greeks always have. Your site is by far the most accurate travel guide to Greece that I have come across. Having enjoyed that site I was surprised to then see a North Carolina site with lots about Chapel Hill. This was particularly interesting for me because I lived In Chapel Hill for three years in the early nineties and so it was like a trip down memory lane. I still have many friends in Chapel Hill and visit when I can.

Matt,

I found your website last minute prior to leaving for our honeymoon to Greece. We spent 2 weeks there, 1 week in Athens and 1 week cruising with Royal Olympic. Your recommendations for sightseeing, purchases, dining, etc. were truly right on target. In fact, we mentioned your name at several places and showed them your travel guide (I printed and took with me). They are pleased you mention them. We had a wonderful time with the gentlemen from Byzantino Jewelry - in fact we were there almost everyday and made several purchases. My husband is of Greek descent so we did have an advantage over others in that he speaks the language!

We found a wonderful private taxi driver (he has a brand new mercedes that was comfortable and had air conditioning). He was very reasonable compared to others and in fact we booked him for several driving experiences throughout our stay as we were hooked up with him through the Marriott concierge. I would recommend him highly to your readers (english-speaking, he showed up when he promised and even showed up to pick us up 1 week later at the port to take us to the airport)- Athens Taxi Service, Michael Sinanidis 0030 6972 777787.

Thank you for helping us around Athens (my husband had not been there for over 30 years)! Linda Hoplamazian and Ted Karamanis

FAO Matt Barrett

We have just returned from two and a half weeks in Greece - our first visit - and would like to thank you for the information in your web site.

We are well travelled within Europe and elswhere but with help from your web site had a great independently organised visit.

We stayed in Athens at the beginning and end of our trip, at the Attalos which is excellent. We managed to cope with Ferry schedules and spend four days each on Hydra, Syros and Andros. Also managing to visit Spteses and Tinos on our travels.

We loved Athens - sadly don't have any new places to report on as we used your tips - loved Psirri - the Platia Iroon was great - we made the last bar on the right on Maioulis (sadly don't know the name) our local - great people and excellent music.

In the Plaka we went to Psara's, Byzantino, & Kouklis all of which were good and the red wine at Kouklis better than expected from your comment.

We also visited Brettos - nice to see the photo of the boss on your site when we came back.

I do my own travel notes for friends - not quite in your league - so the Athens notes now contain you Web Site as a recommendation and the eating places and bars we tried.

We certainly intend to do another Greek adventure at some point.

I have a friend who along with three other friends is coming to Athens for the Olympics - they have tickets for 9 events already - I have spoken to Papias at the Attalos and also a contact in Andros re accommodation. If you had any suggestion of places where they could look to rent for two weeks I would be very grateful.

Once again thanks for the web site !

Sheila McQuaid & Malcolm Downie

Hi Matt

Just a note to say how much my husband I enjoyed your Greece Guide on the internet. We have traveled all over the world and I find the internet one of the most uselful tools for planning our trip, but your guide was the BEST I have ever seen (not to mention your little injections of humor - Loved that!).

Thanks for all the resourceful information. We leave for Greece on Tuesday (first time). Oh, and by the way, George the Famous Taxi Driver will be picking us up at the airport. Thanks again.

Roberta Janota

Mr Barrett,

I wish to thank you for your volumes of information on travel to Greece. I
made my 3 children and my mom a promise 2 years ago that we would see the
Olympics in Athens, and I have impressed myself that I am able to fullfill
this promise. But unfortunately I was hampered by 3 short commings: I have
never traveled outside the United States, I know not a soul in Greece, and I
had a modest budget.

I earned my airfare on American Airlines Advantage Miles, made about $10,000
US in the stock market, and was one of the first persons to order tickets for
the Olympics in July 2003. I had it all thought out! What could go wrong?
Everything!

I did not get Opening Cerimony tickets, could not get 5 complete round trip
tickets on AA Advantage Miles, and the best I could do for lodging was
$6200.00 for 6 nights. I was horrified that I was inadequitely prepared. It
turned out I was uninformed.

After finally coming across your website, I felt as though I had a friend in
Greece, who helped me with the 'ins and outs'. I have arrangements with
Sophia in Aegina for lodging saving more than half of the best rate I could
get myself, still can't get Opening Cerimony tickets (its OK), and with the
money I saved I was able to purchase the rest of our flight including a 3 day
stay in Rome (ROME!) and stop overs in Madrid and Zurich, and still have
money to enjoy my trip.

This coming weekend I get the profound pleasure of taking my mom and children
to a fine Greek restaraunt in Los Angeles and informing them that we are
spending 6 nights in Greece and 3 nights in Rome. Although I am apprehensive
about the trip, at least I know that I can make it happen.

I embark on a most grand adventure in the Summer of 2004, in part, due to
your website. I thank you now and hope to thank you in person, should we meet
on the way to the Acropolis.....

Sincerly,

Tony Milosevich
Palmdale, CA

Hi, Matt,
I first found your site three years ago, fortunately, at the beginning of my
planning for my first trip to Greece and not after :) It's great. Real
information for reasonably intelligent people (I make assumptions), and which
doesn't take itself toooo seriously. And you're always right, of course. I've
used the site a number of times since then, too, although Uli at Dolphin Hellas
(thanks for the ref) has tried to make sure I don't need to go anywhere else but
to her. You are, by the way, the only travel guide I have listed on my Internet
Explorer Favorites. I'm back again, enjoying your updates, this time thinking
about planning a trip together with an old Kiwi friend from the UN in East Timor
-- his father's lifelong (and yet unmet) ambition has been a trip to Greece. So
we're thinking about taking him maybe in May-June. Should still be sane then,
and not too hot. A little history, a little music & culture, great food and bad
wine, what more could a person ask??
cheers & best regards,
Jackie

Mr. Barrett,

I returned yesterday from my trip to Greece and I must thank you sharing all that information with the world. I had a great time in Greece, so much that I'm already planning a second trip in January. Although it may not be the best time of the year I'm choosing that time because first: I met a beutifull Greek woman there who I'm very anxious to see again and second the Olympic games are coming next summer so it will be to crazy to go during the next summer not to mention the costs during that seasons.

Anyways, I'm writting an html summary of my trip which I will post to my personal web-site soon. There I'm giving you credit for much of the information that I used during my trip. I'm hoping that it can be posted as one of the many testimonials in your site.

Sincerely,

Ricardo Navarro

�and belated thanks for the wonderful and outstanding website you have created. I edit a series entitled The Collected Traveler here at Random House, and I am finalizing an edition to feature Athens, the Peloponnese, and the Aegean Islands. I spent 8 weeks in Greece with my husband in 1990 and hadn�t been back until this past February and March, when I was doing some research for my book. I discovered your website, I think from Lonely Planet, and I fell in love with it. I rarely find websites to be any good for travel � the only other one that equals yours is one on Morocco that I discovered when I was working on that book. Anyway, I really just wanted to say �efharisto� for all you do. I am recommending you and your site in my book, I hope enthusiastically enough that people will turn to you first before they read anything else (besides my book, of course). My two travel companions also loved your site, and I recommended it to a colleague who visited Greece in August, and she raved about it. Through you, we discovered George, one of the nicest human beings on the planet (also his son Dennis and his partner Christos). We also met Laura, who we loved, and spent an unforgettable afternoon at Brettos, where we met some great American and British expats who apparently spend every Sunday afternoon there after church. When speaking of Greece, I am constantly saying, �Well Matt says that�� Would love to meet you and your wife one day. Perhaps you occasionally come to New York? Or perhaps we could meet in Greece one day? Who knows � but you are doing a great service, and I just wanted you to know I think your site is amazing. I will of course send you a few copies of the book when it�s published in the spring. And would enjoy communicating by e-mail in the meantime � actually, I may have a few questions for you as I go through this manuscript. That�s all for now. Kind regards, and thanks again, Barrie Kerper [bkerper@randomhouse.com]

Geia sas,

I just wanted to tell you how much I love your website, and let you know about
mine. I fell in love with Greece when I first went, four years ago, and have
been going back ever since (so I'm still a pretty new philhellene!). My
website is a travel guide, I guess, although I do it more to be able to share
pictures and stories with all the people that I have met while in Greece, who
are now scattered all over the world! A lot of it is geared toward Mykonos and
Syros, since that's where I've spent the most time. I read your original
little critique of Mykonos before I went the first time, and then just recently
read the 2003 version. I actually was one of those little Paradise brats (I
don't know what else to call them)...one of the foreigners who works for
25E/day, but a free meal, free bed, and all that. Markos and Freddy took care
of me after I had some pretty awful jobs, plus they liked me because I didn't
actually stay at Paradise, so they had an extra bed to rent.

My website isn't as purist-greece as yours is (okay, so i've spent a LOT of time
at the Skandinavian Bar over the years...but that's just cause we're friends
with the owner..haha), although I'm hoping to add some more non-partying-geared
info soon. I've been putting off working on the Syros page because I know I'm
going to get so into trying to describe how that island and it's people make me
feel that I'm going to totally blow off all studying for a few days.

But I digress. I just wanted to say keep up the good work, kai
euxaritstw para poly yia to oraio website sou!

Amy McVeigh
The Goddesses' Guide
http://www.angelfire.com/trek/ellada

Really enjoyed your site......lots of work involved in it.

My wife met me in Athens for Xmas for two weeks in1972 while I was in the navy. I consider it one of the highlights of my life.

I particularly enjoyed your section on rembetika. I am a great fan of Greek music but have had a hard time getting an album that has that Greek sound I think of from our trip.

Thank you for an informative site, I`ll be a frequent visitor.

Gary

Hi Matt
My name is Nick, i'm from ireland and i booked a
flight to athens recently, just to get away from a
hectic lifestyle for a few days, i had never been to
greece before and i knew nothing about it. I was
starting to get a little nervous a couple of days
before the trip as i had no accommodation booked and
had no greek, then i came across your website and it
really helped me out bigtime.
I took your advice and stayed in poros for a couple of
days before moving to hydra and then back to athens. I
had a brillant time... and the scenery was just
fantastic, the food was amazing and so cheap. The
greek people were so friendly and so helpful and i
really felt very safe there. I'll definitely be back
next year but this time for longer than a mere 5 days,
and i'll say hi to pan next time, i saw him on the
harbour in hydra but i didnt get a chance to talk to
him...What were the highlights???? i dont know where
to start there were so many of them... Its always such
a buzz travelling in a country by yourself for the
first time, but i was lucky enough to experience a
typical greek wedding in the hotel i was staying in in
poros, gee they are a noisy lot and all the plates
they were breaking, i thought there was a fight on at
first..... The whole holiday was a highlight, the
friendlieness of the people also made it and the walks
either side of hydra are spectacular...
Anyway i wont bore you with any more of the details,
just thanks for making my short holiday what it was
and keep up the good work....
regards
Nick

Hi Matt~

We are traveling to Greece this August, and have used your website often to help us plan our trip. Thank you for your talent & hard work! We are in the process of setting up our transfers & hotels with Dina at Fantasy Travel, and a 2 day trip on the mainland with George. We never would of ventured in their direction, without your guidance. Your words of advice & letters from others, have made us want to use Greek agents vs. American tour companies. Just by e-mailing them a few times, you feel you already know them & can't wait to meet them! We are really excited to go, and will let you know how it turned out later this summer. Thank you again, and happy travels to you!

~Patti

Dear Matt,
I just wanted to let you know that i have recently returned from a ten day trip to greece. It was absolutely fabulous. I can''t wait to go again!!! I am hooked on the islands. Mykonos was great but Santorini was wonderful. I must tell you though, the reason it (Santorini) was so wonderful, was because of the hotel. Nomikos Villas was great. The reason it was so great was because of the 21 year old kid that worked the evening shift. His name is Kiril Monov and i highly recommend the hotel because of him. We had run into some trouble with a travel agency, and not speaking the language, we told him all about it and he took care of everything. He was our savior. He answered any questions we had and helped us in any way he could. He catered to our every need. I know, I know, its his job. Well every other hotel we stayed at did there job too. But Kiril went above and beyond the call of duty for us. He was UNBELIEVABLE. My Grandmother, my Mother and I all fell in love with him. I really think you should stay there if you get the chance. The hotel was cute, the view was wonderful and Kiril was the best.
Anyway, your website is a godsend. We printed off pages of stuff, stapled it together and basically made a book out of it. It was our travel guide. You are fabulous and I think it is great what you have done for travelers like myself.
We stayed at the Hotel Attolos in Athens and it was great also. They were very helpful with any thing that we needed and i will stay there again!
I am planning on returning to Greece in about 2 years with a friend of mine. I will check in with your website often just to see whats new! Thank you so much for all that you have done.
Sincerely,
Allyson Ferguson!

Hi, Matt!

We�ve just found your website(s)� well maybe it was an hour or two ago � I�ve been so busy taking in the wealth of information that you so generously share that the time has flown and we are getting more and more excited about the trip we plan to take next June with friends.

I just had to stop and drop you a note to say thank you for all the wonderful information!

It looks like we can stop the �general research� phase and get right down to the details now! And I�ve already begun with a message to David Econopouly about air, lodgings and a bareboat charter.

You are remarkable, Matt. We can�t thank you enough!

Robin & Bev Collins

El PasoTexas

Dear Matt,

Your website is incredible! I am a Greek-American who is definitely
interested in my heritage and found your website by searching for Greek CDs.
What I found, however, is a site rife with many treasures. I hope you
continue with this - I have sent the link to many friends also
Hellenophiles.

Truly,
George DeBusk

Matt,

Just a note to thank you for the time & effort you put into your wonderful
website. It is a great resource and it has inspired me to extend my
upcoming trip to Athens for an additional 5 days. Your site is informative,
fun and thorough. Thanks again!

Michele Wilson
Assistant, International Development
Scripps Networks - HGTV, DIY, Food Network, Fine Living

Hello Matt Barrett,

After searching the internet and finding out that Panathinaikos actually won (3-1) in their latest soccer game against Scotland's Rangers for the UEFA Champions' League on Dec. 9th, I decided to search for sites referring to the the Athens 2004 Olympic Games (other than the official site) and I was pleasantly surprised to come across your extensive website on GREECE www.greecetravel.com with all of its links... I thoroughly enjoyed your writing style, the experience and insight you have on Greece, that I could not stop reading (and it is 3:30am here) I was truly impressed. What a great job! Fortunately, I am in a position where I can spread the word for even more people to visit your site when planning their trips to Greece.

BEST WISHES TO YOU AND YOURS FOR HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

Kind regards,
Constance Jouras

NOTE: I was born and raised in Chicago by Greek-American parents, who now live in Athens. Currently, I live in Australia and work at the Embassy of Greece in Canberra. After my tour of duty here, I will return to Athens.

Moin Matt ("Moin" means "Hi" in Northern Germany)

Thank you for your wonderful page in the internet, which is very funny
and full of very useful knowledge.
It is the best site about Greece I found in the net.
I was very amused to read your experience traveling with your
mother-in-law (and your way to escape). Her species occurs all around
the world.
I can understand your wife�s suffering very well.
At this moment I`m looking out of a window in Quern, Northern Germany,
and the weather is very grey and bad. While the raindrops run down the
window, the sun and the heat of Greece seem like paradise to me.
The reason why I found your site was that I was looking for an old
friend in Athens who works as a dentist and is a very good jazz piano
player. His name is
Jannis Kitsopoulos. Do you know a method to find out where he is?

Dr. Konstanze Brunkhorst
Dingholz 11
24972 Quern, Germany

I can't believe just how efficient and absolutely wonderful all your
information is!

I can't remember ever being so impressed by someone and what they've done,
thank you seems such an understatement.

I'm in awe of your knowledge and application, Lesbos is my favourite ever of
the Greek Islands, I've been lucky enough to have lived in Athens and
Thessaloniki and have visisted a few other of the islands too but I simply
can't get enough of Greece, the Greeks and their culture. It's wonderful.

with the utmost respect and good wishes, I'm going to try and read it all!!
Sue Howard

Dear Matt,

A friend has just sent me your pages about Kalavrita and the area.

I would like to congratulate you on your well written insight to the place I just love to live.

I am the one and only Brit living here and am always interested in reading other peoples views

Should you ever need a contact in the area to update any of the info I would be willing to help you.

Best regards

Nicky Tsaparas

Thank God for Google.com and finding your guide. It's FABULOUS!!!! You are to be commended for a great job. I was in Greece about 30 years ago and haven't been back since. Plan to spend 11-12 days there during next Christmas holiday season. Want to spend a few days in Athens, then possibly Santorini, Rhodes, and Mykonos, then back to Athens for return flight to U.S. Any personal suggestions not in your guides about the best way to put this all together. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Matt, I just wanted to say I've enjoyed the discovery of your website. It
has a wealth of information, and brings back memories of the logistical
difficulties, and pleasures of travel in Greece. We spent a total of about
5 weeks there in 1988... had our own rental car. I see from some of your
descriptions that nothing has changed!

I stumbled on your website while looking for a way to visit Ephesus in
Turkey. I've found, from a link found on your website, that the only way to
get there from Greece is a ferry from Athens to Samos, then from Samos to
Ephesus.

We won't be travelling until September 2004, but I usually do all the
research well in advance.

Thanks again for the great site!

-- Joan McPhee, MH, WT

This is the best travel guide I have explored. I have every book Barnes and Noble carries on Greece and your sight is the most interesting and thorough.

Both my parents are Greek and 5 years ago I travel for a month through the areas of their homeland - I wish I had known about your sight back then - it would have saved some time.

I am planning a trip with my fiance, soon to be husband, in September. We are planning on the route of the Ionian Islands, Thessaloniki, and the island of Skopelos ( my father's family home) as highlights. I would welcome any suggestions you have. We will be in Greece September 18 - October 2.

Sincerely,

Victoria Liollio

WOW! this is great. You've really put alot of time & enegy into this. You either really love to share your wealth of travel & knowledge or you just have way too much time on your hands!!! Either way all of us out here who find you get the benefit of some beautiful quality photos and the wellspring of your time spent there. Thank you thank you thank you. This is going to help me greatly as I am preparing to take a team of people over during the Olympics. We'll only bein Athens a few days then heading out to the islands. I'm sure everything will be inflated but, have you had any luck or experiences with camp grounds on any of the islands? Again thank you for your adverterous spirit & willingness to share it.

Grateful,

Mrs.H

February 26, 2004

Matt -

I read your entire web - it is off the face of this planet, one of the most succint, fun and USEFUL guides totally.

I grew up in Cyprus, spent many long summers in Crete and Athens - and you captured the flavor and ambience totally --

THANK YOU it was wonderful reading and brought back many fabulous memories...

I was reading it for a friend of mine who is going to the Olympics - and it was truly great...

Got any more on Italy, specifically Venice/Florence/Rome???

Better than Fedors and all that - MUCH MUCH MORE USEFUL AND FUN....

THANK YOU

Amy M. Ray

Sr. Executive Assistant

to the Chairman & CEO

Dear Matt Barrett,

I discovered your Greek travel site this very day. You sound so
helpful and interesting. What you're doing for us Greek travellers or
Greek want-to-be travellers is marvellous. Thank you for all your
personal efforts. Obviously you have a deep love of Greece. Thanks
for helping other people to discover Greece.

Mary Lynn Doyle
P.S. I have vacationed on a couple Greek islands, Paros and Naxos, for
several years on a very tight budget. I look forward to seeing other
places, too. Some of the happiest days of my life have been in these
beautiful places.

Thank you for your marvelous Greece information site! I've visited Greece
many times (Athens, Crete, Kefallonia, Naxos, Santorini etc.) and I wanted
to check some facts from the internet. Once I found your web site, I never
left. Thank you again and I hope you continue the great work you do.

All the best from snowy Helsinki, Finland
Meri

This is a quick email to tell you "Thank You" for your website.

Since our trip was last minute, we didn't have as many choices on hotel availability. Our stay at the Herodion Hotel (which was not our first hotel) was wonderful. It wasn't even on our list of 7 or 8 but we found the location & hotel to be great. It is a small hotel (very quiet area) that has a refurbished lobby & lower level & rooms. Our first night we were in a room with no view & requested a view of the Acropolis for the rest of the 5 nights. They accomodated us, & we went to sleep seeing it from our beds. Their American Buffet Bkfst. was the same daily but it had plenty of items for us to select & get on our way. Your restaurants of Byzantino (Plaka), Daphne, and a few others were fabulous!

George (the taxi Driver) and his son were wonderful also. After a long day of travelling, it was wonderful to see him carrying a sign with our names & not have to worry about anything.

Delphi is a magical place! We took your recommendation on the restaurant & found it to be fabulous! Two Greek Brothers (with their Dad as chef) ran it & the views were fabulous. It was virtually desolate this time of year, & we loved the absence of all the tourists. (We gave them your website because they seemed not to have heard about it.)

Everywhere we went including the sandle maker, we told them how we came upon them: your website.

We found most Greeks to be wonderful & happy to have Americans visiting. My son who is there for CYA (College Year Abroad) loves Greece also, especially the islands! Wish we would have had time for those! Next time, may be!

Thanks Again, Nancy & Larry Henry

Matt,

Thank you for once again reducing me to a pile on the floor like a stack of old rags. You have taken me away from last minute details, and errands to an hour of reading and laughing till my sides hurt.

Forget taking a book or magazine on the plane. I have printed out your stories and after dinner, when everyone is settling down for a night of sleep on the plane, I will be laughing uncontrollably. They will for sure think I need a straight jacket. Little will they know I am reading the stories you write. You do have a way of telling a story like none I have ever read before.

I sure wish you had all your information, fun stories, advice, and knowledge of the country you write about (Greece) in a book. On the way home from the DR a week ago we stopped at a huge book store, to see if we could find a good book on Greece. I must tell you, of all the ones we found, none offered anything remotely as good as what you offer. Most were quite confusing because Greek is such a difficult language.

We actually looked through some that were very pricey by known authors that I gladly put back on the shelf. Others I wonder if the author has ever been to Greece. Your information is so excellent, and your writing so funny, it would be a run away best seller. In my case a perfect title would be "A Guide Book Of Greece For Total Idiots." At least people like me would know they had the right book!

I do wish you had a message board that lets people write about their experiences and even post pictures, but I am sure that is a big job to keep it monitored. You offer so much, and make it fun and interesting, you definitely should be paid for it. Your own interesting experiences is what brings it to life. Its what makes me want to read them over and over. It is after midnight and I am still reading them over and over.

Thanks so much Matt, I hope I have many things to tell you when I return, and some great pictures to show you. I bought some great cameras to capture everything possible. I will send some to you and you are free to use anything I send.

Thanks again

Linda Pendleton

Matt,

Just a note of thanks on the plethora of information you have provided on your website(s) about Greece. I am a 35 year old American living in Chicago and my soon to be wife is a first generation Greek American. Joanne's parents moved from Greece in the early 60's, where her father became the principal of the local Greek school and her mom was a teacher. They moved back to Athens for a few years in the early 70's, then returned to Chicago to run the school until they retired in the 90's and moved back to Athens, where her mother now resides (her father passed away last year).

Although Joanne makes a decent living in Chicago as an architect & an apartment building owner, Greece is beckoning and we will probably make the move there next year. During the past two years I have been tirelessly researching Greek history, culture, and lifestyles and I have to say that whenever I do research your name inevitably pops up. You have provided me with an excellent overall synopsis of Greece and I can't thank you enough for your sharing of information. This summer will bring my second trip to Greece (for six weeks this time instead of two) and I will once again use your invaluable insights and tips to make my experience that much more enjoyable.

Best wishes to you and your family and thanks once again for everything.

Sincerely,

Blake Valkier

Hi Matt
Just wanted to let you know that your web sites have been an incredible
help. My husband and I visited greece last summer and loved it. We are
planning a trip with our 2 kids in the summer of 2005 to Lesvos and who
knows where else for about 4 or 5 weeks. Your daughters site is also
great for my 2 boys (5&8), she sounds like a great kid. Thanks for all
your useful up to date info.

Lisa

This is a very belated thankyou from my daughter and myself. Last winter we planned what turned out to be a completely delightful trip using your website, a National Geographic travel book on Greece, and Fantasy travel(Dina specifically).

We spent 2 weeks- 2 days in Athens,rented a car from your friend at Swift ( who was delayed when we met at the airport returning the car because they " found" some traffic) and went to Peloponnesse,Nafplio, Olympia,Bessae, To Delphi, Osio Lukas. Then we flw to Santorini! and I made up a new vers to the "Riding on a Donkey" song, while we raced our donkeys up the 600+steps .We took a Flying Dolphin to Naxos and by that time we were so full that we just baked in the shade by a pool where we thought we were in Germany except it was way too hottttttttttttttttt.So, in a nutshell,we had a blast. Once in a while , I look at your website nostalgically. Oh, the only way the trip could have been betteris if my husband went , too, so I'll be going again with him one day.

All the best to you and your familly,

Debbie

Hi there, Matt, Friendly greetings from Cape Town,
South Africa. A couple of years ago I went to Athens,
before discovering your website; although I did stacks
of research and made all my own arrangements, it's a
pity that I did not see your site, it's stupendous. I
pass on the details to everyone I know, even my
friends in Greece! I wish the other European
countries had similar sites. I can't afford to travel
now, so all my 'trips' are done via the Net and books.
I stayed in a wonderful famliy-owned hotel in
Monastiraki called Hotel Tempi, very cheap and more
than sufficient to anyone's needs and shopped in
downtown Omonia, dressed like the local ladies and
paying in Drachma (it was before the Euro). Hopefully
I'll be able to move there when I retire in a few
years - needless to say, I left my heart behind! Just
one thing - the list of local prices : could you
please update that from time to time? I do get
catalogues from a friend in Athens, but those are
prices for AB Vassiliopoulos, which is a bit more
upmarket. Anyway, time to go, once again, in the
local lingo, baie dankie, and efxaristo, Regards,
Robyn Kirkwood

(I'm going to assume your name is Matt based on little hints I found on your site ... and ... I'm a somewhat clever Greek-American) :p

My name is Anna and I co-manage Greece-Cafe @ MSN Communities. We're the largest Greek community there, with a current member base of 1723 ... nearly double our closest competitor.

I was wondering if I could link with you and maybe steal a few lines here and there to make up a page for our readers to get to know you.

You can check us out at: http://groups.msn.com/GreeceCafe ... you'll find a few sites we've highlighted in there, including Comedy - Basile!! ... Art - Papas Gallery ... Design/Consulting ... etc.

Dear Mr. Barrett,

I recently learned to use the computer at 50 and got hooked especially on
www.greekislands.com because we are Greek and will be going in the summer.
It'll cost us a pretty penny - we have relatives in Athens, Argos, Tripoli,
Astros and neighboring villages. I stumbled upon your website by fluke
looking up again Club Hotel Casino Loutraki and to my delight I found your
site. I have just read parts of it and am happy you like the Hotel Attalos
in Athens because that's what I picked for location and price. I don't
think I've read where you are from -- are you an American - where do you
live? Anyway I really wanted to express our families thanks for this
wonderful site - your the first person I've ever e-mailed except for Greek
hotels. Thank you again - the internet can be an amazing resource. Regards
from Calgary, Canada Anna

We had great time in Greece! We come back last friday after around 5000km, but it was worth the time and money, we spent - thanks to you and your website too.

After Meteora, Delphi and Olimpia we made our base by Gythio as you suggested. Mani, Monemvasia, Elafonissos and even Methoni with Pylos were in one day (or two) driving distance.

In att., I am sending you photo of Vahia after the fire. Did you know about that? When we visited the place - last week in July, we could still smell the fire. Fortunatelly, the village is still untouched.

On our return, we visited Nafplion and surroundings (3 days) and than Athens (big, smelly and hot pot - but can not be missed)!

For your information, the roads across FYROM, Serbia and Montenegro and Croatia are in rather good condition and (as far as we concern) safe.

I checked it out and now I am positive to recommend your www page to everyone who is intent to visit Greece in future.

Best regards,

Dean, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Dear Mr. Barrett,

I just wanted to thank you on behalf of myself, wife and 9 year old son, Seth for guiding us through a fantastic trip to Greece. We made extensive use of your recommendations on our trip to Athens/Greece over the first week of April 2004. We used the transfer service that you recommended (an assistant of George's met us at the airport), stayed at the Attalos Hotel(though we must admit that the first room we stayed in, a second floor overlooking the main street, was quite loud) where everyone was quite genial, ate in some of the restaurants mentioned on your website, and most importantly, worked with Jimmy at Byzantino to get my wife a fantastic 50th birthday present. Uli at Dolphin Hellas Travel Agency saved us a bundle in all our reservations (Attalos Hotel, tour to Sounion, tour to Nafplio). Again thank you for your guidance and feel free to use us as a reference if necessary...The Gleckmans (Gary, Andrea, and Seth)

Dear Matt,

Thanks for getting back to me! I took your advice and requested help
from Fantasy Travel.

I just wanted to let you know how much I've enjoyed reading your pages
about traveling in Greece. Thanks for a great public service! After
browsing through your sections on history, the islands, and food, I now
look forward to the time when I can take full advantage of all the tips
and information you provide when I'm not just on business and can bring
the family too.

Thanks again!

Best regards,
Kea

Hello Matt,

My fiance and I are planning to marry and honeymoon in Greece between June 5 and June 19 this year. We are both busy professionals - and huge procrastinators - so we have yet to actually even have flights booked yet, let alone an itinerary. After contacting a few travel agents in our area, (we live in Grand Rapids, Michigan), we realized that not only did they seem to know less than we did, they were bound and determined to book us on "package" trips for the masses. Definitely not our style or goal for this once-in-a-lifetime trip...

I am not an "internet" person, as any of my friends will readily attest. However, after the recent frustration with travel agents and not knowing what else to do, I got on the computer today determined to book our own airfare. I just happened to see your web site and read your views on going solo for travel planning, and it made sense. So, I read through Greecetravel.com, Athensguide.com, and contacted Greeceflights.com as well as Fantasytravel.com. I printed off much of the information, but I didn't know if you had a book available for purchase. If not, let me be the first to encourage you to do so. I have not been as excited about this trip as I should be, mostly because the planning seemed overwhelming, and there seemed to be no one to give us first-hand knowledge. After reading your advice/suggestions and looking at your photographs, I am feeling enthusiastic and inspired to put together the best vacation ever. My career has not allowed for a 2-week vacation in the past, and I'm starting to feel like I may never want to return!

Anyway, this is a very long-winded way to thank you for the insight you shared on your very thorough and informative website. I'm not the kind of person to write to people I don't know, but I felt like it was important to thank you for helping me feel more informed and confident and excited about this very important experience. I will be sending a request for the Athens maps you suggested, and I look forward to hearing from both Greecflights.com and fantasytravel.com to start planning our trip. Again, thank you so much for providing this site and sharing these references.

Sincerely,

Becca Shire

Matt:

I just wanted to thank you for all of the help you gave me in planning
my recent trip to Greece. Your web site was excellent and informative,
but most of all, accurate. It made organizing the trip so much easier.
I printed most of the information that I needed and took it with us.
The only correction I might make, if I may be so bold, is that Vathy now
has electricity.

Once again, thank you and I can't wait to go back.

Nancy Brown

I spent a few weeks on Mykonos in the summer of 1970.

I skimmed through your (at least I believe it was your) Return to Mykonos
article. Skimmed because it stirred a fondness for the experience that
would just leave me with a desire I could not meet (including being 22
again). And a sadness that the place will never be again what it was then.

The friends I made (the "beautiful girls and beautiful boys" I think you
called them... were we really once they?). All in this perfect setting.
The joy of convivial gatherings - for (late) breakfast on the harbor;
arranging to meet later at a cafe; our rather sloppy Greek dancing at one of
(the two?) night clubs. I gained my perspective of cruise ships there - we
(English, French, American, Greek) would sit on the hill, with a bottle of
wine, and wait for the hordes to return to their floating prisons.

The souvlaki man deserves to be a millionaire. I have toured the rest of
the world to find any as good (4 drachma I think it was?).

How many people, in our rushed traffic jam world, understand the high drama
when the two Volvo buses had to pass each other?

A day at - we called it - Yellow Beach (Ghiado?.. that's the best
transcription I can make of the bus ticket that I still have). A perfect
place with just one, spectacular yacht moored in the middle of the bay for
us to swim to.

Enough!

My wife, after listening to all my tales, wants as much as I to go back to
Greece; to an island. But, I wonder that I should not go back to Mykonos.
I think I would be disappointed. I think I will leave Mykonos intact, in my
mind, as it was 24 years ago and I will have to find a new adventure.

Keith Crossley
(now of) Webster, NY USA

Matt

I have to congratulate you on your web site. It is absolutely fantastic and it is evident to see that you have spent a lot of time preparing the site for the well-being of other travellers. If you haven't been congratulated on it before, YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN. It is absolutely fantastic and it has taken a lot of the worry out of Athens for my fiancee and I. Thanks heaps for the information Matt. I shall definitely be using some of your tips. Hopefully we can still stay in touch.

Kind regards

Melissa

I must say that I thought I was the only one that was crazy about Greece. I
think it's wonderful that you took the time to put that AMAZING web site
together. I also have to Thank you, some friends and I are going to Greece
in June and we constantly kept referring to your web site before making any
decisions.

Thank you and Yasas!

May you keep enjoying your travels to Greece!!!

Nada N. Khattar

Hi. My wife and I have just returned to Australia after a four week trip to Greece and I wanted to thank you for your Greek Guide which was a great help in planning our trip.

After a couple of days in Athens staying at the Plaka Hotel (the Attalos was booked out) we had a week on Sifnos (staying at the Eleonas Aparments), 5 days in Milos (we stayed in the Villa Helios Apartments in Adamas), 10 days on Crete where we hired a car (we stayed in Sitia, Kato Zakros, Aghia Pelagia, Plakias and Hania) and then a couple more days in Athens (at the Hotel Tempi). We booked the Athens and Sifnos accommodation before we left and then made up the rest as we went along.

Overall we had a great time � we particularly enjoyed Athens and Sifnos. Your guides to the Plaka, Athens restaurants and the Acropolis were invaluable. The Archeological Museum is a real gem and we loved just wandering around the city and coming across unexpected ancient sites. Sifnos was a great place to start the island part of the trip. A really good introduction to authentic Greek life and the island where we felt closest to what we were looking for. We also enjoyed Milos, particularly around the coast (the inland areas were a bit disappointing after Sifnos).

We found Crete a bit of a mixed bag � some fantastic spots off the tourist trail, but a lot of the north coast very disappointing. In some places it felt more like a south coast English holiday resort than Greece. We also found the driving extremely stressful � I don�t know if Cretan driving is typical of Greece overall but it is the most endangered I have ever felt whilst driving anywhere in the world. On the positive side the meals in Crete were the best we had on the trip and Hania, Kato Zakros and Plakias were beautiful spots � the Valley of the Dead and the walk up the hill from Plakias to Mirthios were fantastic. Also experienced some great live Cretan music in Hania.

One area of particular disappointment was the amount of rubbish on some beaches and on the side of the road (in Crete in particular). It is very depressing to see beautiful spots spoilt by human indifference and ignorance. There seems to be some indications (the Blue flag initiative and signage in some areas) that attempts are being taken to address this problem and hopefully these will have a positive effect. I would be interested in your views on this. In Australia we have had major public campaigns over the last 20 years or so to reduce littering and it has been very successful.

Once again thanks for your guide. Happy to provide any more detailed information if it would be of assistance to you.

Hi Matt,

I just love your website. I've been to Greece twice and feel like I'm back again everytime I log on to your website. I was just reading about Taxies and you saying they got a bad name. That is so true! It reminded me of an experience I had in Athens: I was spending the day with a tourguide friend of mine at her home in Kifissia. She was going to drive me back to the Hotel Astor in the evening, but it was raining so hard her husband said it wasn't safe so he wouldn't let her drive me. He agreed that she could drive me to a taxi stand. None of the taxi drivers would drive in the rain because it was coming down so hard, so Irini said we should flag one down that was already on the road, which we did. We got one to stop and I got in with one other lady in the car. As we drove down the road, I noticed that his windshield wipers were broken and he had to keep looking out the open window to see where he was going. I thought for sure he was going to stop and say he just couldn't do it and I was going to have to get out. But with his wet head, he got me to the hotel. I was so appreciative, I gave him 1 1/2 times the fare and a big "Bravo!" He tried to give me the extra money back and I wouldn't let him. He said thanks with a big smile. After I pealed off my wet clothes and muddy foot (stepped into a mud puddle in Irini's yard and she hosed it off laughing) and sat in a warm bubble bath, I decided that I wouldn't have traded that wonderful day for any sunny day there might have been. It was the most fun I'd had in a long time.

By the way, you once sent me a picture of Stavros Melissinos (poet-sandlemaker) with your daughter. Stavos is an acquaintance of mine. I know his helper, John, died, but does Stavos still have his shop open and is he still working there? He's so old! What a dear man he is. Hopefully I'll be back in October of this year.

Thanks, Matt. Keep up the good work. Us Greek-o-philes love your stuff. And I'm one of the few people who love Athens and its energy and hate to hear people say bad things about it. Hope to see you there sometime.

Susan McNamee

Hi Matt,

It is me Agatha from Hong Kong again and I am back from Greece. I just cannot wait to share my feeling with you.

In Rhodes, the old town is beautiful and it is easy to walk around even without a map. I had taken a lot of pictures in Lindo as well as in old town but the compact flash card was so bad that I lost it but anyway I will keep it in my heart. You know, Matt, things in Rhodes is a bit more expensive than in Santorini maybe it is a commercial town!

I have spent two wonderful days in Santorini, I rent a car with my husband and drove along the beach. We parked the car and just lay down on the Perissa Beach, the sun is warm but the water is just freezzzzzing! I tried my best to jump into the water, you know swimming in the Aegean Sea is an unforgettable experience. I strongly recommend other tourist to join one day tour climbing up the two volcano, jumping into the hot spring (but you have to come across the freezing water) and having your sunset dinner in Oia. And I highly recommend a hotel called Andromeda Villa in Imerovigli, the reception lady is very nice and pretty, the house is clean and the most breathetaking Caldera View is just right in front of your door. To me, everyday is a happy day in Greece and I really want to say thank you once again for every piece of helpful information.

Agatha

Dear Matt,
Why is it that every time the sun comes out I find myself perusing
greecetravel.com rereading old articles and dreaming of my next trip to
Greece? Hey that's only four weeks away - Peloponessos here I come!
Thanks matey I feel better already.
Ian

Hi Matt,

My wife and I wanted to thank you for your advice about Greece. We
spent the last week of May there and had a great time. I was in Athens
for a conference for the first few days but was able to travel to
Sounion with a former grad student of mine (who is now a professor in
Athens) and he treated us to lunch in Vouliagmeni (we had fried
whitebait which I never would have tried otherwise). We had a great
dinner (sampling of a lot of different dishes) at Psaras in Plaka which
was suggested by some of our Greek friends (confirmed your suggestion).

We arranged our travel to Santorini through Fantasy Travel and picked up
our vouchers at their office near Syntagma Square. Mary set us up at
the Volcano View Villas Hotel, another of your great suggestions. It
was every bit as great as you said - superb location, friendly staff.

On the return to the Athens airport for an overnight stay before
returning home we stayed in Rafina at Mary's suggestion. The Avra Hotel
was really nice and I can understand why you highly recommend visiting
the town.

I am still puzzled about the price of fish dishes. You warned us about
them on your website but we got sucked in by one anyway in Santorini -
the receipt said Katrina Restaurant although the sign said the Gallery.
When the price of fish is listed as 48 Euros per kilo, how do the legit
restaurants determine what you pay? We paid the full 48 Euros and I
know the fish didn't weigh a kilo. We knew we were in trouble when we
got glasses of lousy vinegary wine (he wanted us to buy a bottle for 30
Euros) and he told us that was the way Santorini wine tasted! That was
followed by two customers shouting at the waiter and complaining about
the high price and being ripped off! Unfortunately, it was too late to
escape. Oh well, live and learn! That bad experience was offset by a
free lunch of lamb and potatoes with free wine at a church down the hill
from Firostefani - they were celebrating the patron saint of their
church.

We ran into another couple from Virginia that had used many of your
suggestions as well. Anyway, thanks again for all the good info.
Warmest regards.

Jerry Mills

Hi Matt,
Thank you for the wonderful website. My husband and I are going to fulfill
a long time dream and visit Greece in late September (after the Olympics).
I have been struggling with what hotels to book and worried abut getting to
the hotel etc. Your website has made things so much easier. I have sent an
email to the Attalos hotel at atthot@hol.gr asking for availability. Once
our flight arrangements are made I am going to contact George for a transfer
and tour. I have looked at a site for tours but I think I will ask George
for a general tour of Athens. We are meeting our daughter in Piraeus to
join her on a cruise ship that she works on and will tour other Greek
Islands with her.

I appreciate all of the advise and tips and have printed out many of the
sections of your survival guide. I have never been to Europe so this is all
like a dream to me.

Thanks again.

Trudy Raymond

Hey Matt,
just one of your millions of fans...been reading your site for a few years now and 'as always' ..I just wanted to let you know, after only a few minutes on it...I love it. I am also an American married to a Greek. However, I have been told I am more Greek than he is!! I absolutely love Greece..to the point where now after staying at home raising kids for 13 years..I now am looking at employment that will allow me to have summers off and time that the kids have off so I can go to Greece. Pretty sad when your whole life revolves around Greece huh?

Anyways...I just wanted to tell you thank you from those of who don't get over there as often as you so you can update us on where we can spend another adventure. Our base is Patra, where my mother and father in law have a few flats....and one in the village that is absolutely ancient andneeds work.

Thanks again.

Michelle

Hi Matt,
Just want to let you know I love your sites on Greek travel. I lived in
Athens for 7 years and after looking at your info and photos, I want to go
back today.

Great job, that's all I can say. Most comprehensive info on Greece I've
ever seen.
Cheryl Woods

hi!
just want to say thanks.
today i've returned from a magnificant trip to Greece. we've been in all the
country - athens, delphi, Evretinia, Zahoria, Pelion, Metora and even in the
island Paros.
Greece is a wonderful country and so as the greek people.
idan

...for putting together such an amazing site. I'm very happy that I stumbled
onto your Travel Guide to Greece.

That's all I want to say. You've helped us plan our 10 days in Greece better
than all the other sites we've found combined.

Ryan

Our recent (and first) trip to Greece was the best family vacation we've ever had and I owe you many, many thanks for all the information I got from your websites before arriving. Everything from where to stay and eat in Athens, how to get around, using a travel agency, and the island I eventually spent most of my time on (Naxos) was possible because of the information you have on your website. Also - Christofer Sitaras - whom we met through George the taxi driver proved to be the difference-maker for our trip. He was the best - the most friendly - person we could have connected with in order to get in and around Athens.

Thanks for everything,

Tony Hursey

Just wanted you to know that I am still reading, reading, reading your web site in preparation for my (first) trip to Greece July 30-August 12. I am meeting my daughter Katherine there who has been there since June 2 (she will return to the U.S. Sept. 6). She was in Athens a month last year, and said your web site (which I actually found for her!) was the single most helpful �guide� on Athens she has ever read.

I used Fantasy Travel (Litsa) to book our trip, and thus far everything you said about them is true. I feel very comfortable about the fact that they have arranged our trip. I am really into the �countdown� now!

I just wanted to tell you a couple of things: 1) I love reading your web site, both for the information and the humor; I really do read to the bottom of the pages, and hope to get through lots more before July 30 (I�ve been reading it off and on for months); and 2) I am fairly confident that this will not be my only trip to Greece. I am already mentally planning the second trip. Because I will be traveling this time with my 22 year old daughter, we will be in Athens, Mykonos, Naxos, and Santorini�all the most popular destinations. I can�t wait to go back to Greece another time, OFF SEASON (!) and not before an Olympics (!) to visit places like Sifnos, Poros, and so many other islands that are less often visited. And, I think it would be wonderful to tour mainland Greece.

I don�t know how all this will happen�the subsequent trips/vacations, I mean. At times I have fantasies of selling my home, quitting my job, and moving there (did I take �Mamma Mia� a little too seriously?!). Perhaps I should just wait for this trip and see how it goes! (I�m not sure how I will fare in such HOT weather�I�m from Michigan where we get excited when it�s 75-80 degrees!). I guess what I�m saying is that I�ve already fallen in love with Greece, and I haven�t even got there yet.

Sorry to bend your ear, I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your web site, and your style of writing.

Dear Matt Barrett
I have just spent the last hour being vastly
entertained by your study in Kea - I was innocently
looking for info on Kea and ended up reading about
Deep Purple instead!
I'm gonna check out your site about going it on one's
own as a musician too, sounds interesting.
It's great the way the net leads you to the most
unexpected places although scary when you realise
hours have gone by not interacting with other humans
or doing any of the stuff you intended to!
Do you rent ur place out to people in Kea?

Greetings from London
Sue Denim
A robot in disguise

Hey Matt!....

I wrote to you some time ago to say thank you for your fantastic website on Greece and "her" beautiful islands......

we're off to Thassos this weekend and can't wait, although I've kept a regular look out on the weather maps and it don't look too good over there at the moment, however, I guess it won't rain too much whilst sitting in a taverna uh?.... :-)....

You're website has been an inspiration to me, I love everything about Greece and I go there just to smell the Greek air and to take in it's beautiful culture.... so for me it's not a holiday - just another journey on discovering the beauty of Greece and the aura which surrounds Her....

Being a busy working Mom (with a small and beautiful family) we only get to go on holiday once every year..... And every year.... means a new adventure to another island..... - don't get me wrong we aren't world-wide travellers, our budget wouldn't allow!! (unfortunately) but we're getting to know our way around the islands very well (albeit it be from visualising from a holiday brochure or via the web!!!)....

We're off to Lesvos next year and the hamlet of Anaxos.... we tend to venture more so towards the smaller - uncommercialised side of the islands, where its more quite and more "typical" of family Greek life....

So no doubt i'll be wandering around your website for many more years to come..... I just thought i'd take the time to say "efharisto" for all your hard, and no doubt - enjoyable!? - work.....

I'm off now to unpack, repack, unpack and repack the suitcases.... so, in advance from our holidays in Scala Prinou (fingers x'd it's all I hope it to be!!!) in Thassos....

"Yamass".... & good health

Kind regards

Sue Stephens

Hi Matt,

My name is Bogdan and I am from Romania. I go often in Athens do to
my job and I like it very much. This year I will go there along with my
family, my wife Madalina and my five years old boy Calin. We will attend
the Olympics and in order to have some diversity we were looking for some
information on the net. We opened your site and we have read it all. It is
fabulous indeed. We like it so much so I can't stop myself sending this
mail aim to congratulates you. Thank you.

Kindest regards,
Bogdan, Madalina and Calin

Thanks for the contacts for Akrotiri information, Matt; I appreciate it. I read your Mykonos info last night (I like to print all this information and enjoy it at my leisure) and laughed out loud reading about you and your daughter and the fat naked Germans tucked into crevasses reading the biz section of Der Spiegel.

Why do those Germans always become the object of hysterical laughter? They seem to be OK in their own country but are great humor fodder anywhere else. Maybe because I grew up in Minnesota and all the Germans I knew hadn't smiled in 15 years. I was delighted to visit Germany for the first time about 5 years ago and find out they weren't all grim-faced. Picturing them naked on Mykonos just is too funny.

Judy Serie Nagy

Hello, Matt,

I've enjoyed reading all the information on your Greece travel site! I traveled to Greece and some of the Islands in '98. I've traveled more often to England and Scotland, but hope to visit Greece again in '05. I truly love Greece, the Mediterrenean, the light, the angle of the sun, the people. When I travel, it's the people that make it worth the journey. I like the way you write and describe your visits, etc. I've written some about my travel experiences on VirtualTravel.com as "highlandlaura" and I'm writing a book on my travels. I wrote an article about "why" I travel to "Europe" in response to a friend who always asked 'why Europe'? After considering, I realized that it was 'the people'. I found your site very helpful for my future travel plans.

All Best Wishes,

Laura

Hi,
I was researching the net for some info on Greece as I'm planning a holiday there early next year. I stumbled across your website and...WOW!!!...so much useful information - a week later, I'm still sifting through it all!

Dear Matt: I just want to tell you that it was a pleasure to have met you while I was in Greece (once outside the Attalos, and a second time in Mytilini, Lesvos), and to thank you for all your help your website game to myself, Kathy and Silvia.

We absolutely LOVED Lesvos. We took your advice and rented a car from Yanni at Best for 12 days and I think we covered almost all of the island. We missed a couple of places, like Vatera Beach but were not disappointed with the rest.

We met a lovely New Jersey girl in Plomari who just two months before we arrived bought (or perhaps rents) a restaurant right on the water in the town and the food was amazing. Her name is Niki Koulandri and the restaurant is called The Sea Shell . The squid was to die for and of course the view as well. But then the squid anywhere in Lesvos was fantastic. Perhaps the next time you get to Plomari you could check it out. She deserves a mention and does alot of the work herself.

Thank you as well for sending us to Joanna in Skala Eressou. She was able to arrange an apartment for us that was the best we stayed at on the island. The price was so good - 30 Euros per nite and it was excellent. It had a kitchenette, living room, eating area, and balcony. Perfect. I think the name of the place - as far as I can make out from the greek on the card I was given - is Fainareth, and the woman's name was Toula. She was helpful, friendly and very caring. We stayed there for 3 nights and did many a day trip from there. The beach at Skala Eressou was quite the array of diverse persons. Really interesting!! I loved the shops in the town and bought quite a few different pieces of glass wear. Many very talented artists abound in that area. We may have missed it had it not been for you.

One last thing. When we met you in Mytilini we wanted to tell you about the Hotel we stayed at in Perissa, Santorini and perhaps you forgot the name. It is called Stelios' Place - email - splace@otenet.gr and it was the best value for the money we spent. The owners, Stelios and Eva were more than accomodating and the hotel itself is lovely. My daughter and her boyfriend stayed there in 2001 when they were there and recommended it to us. I was pleased they did. Stelios also will pick up his guests from the port or airport and take them back again on your departure. That is a wonderful service, and the pool made a nice change from the beach just to have a quiet afternoon.

If you are still in Greece I hope you and your lovely family are enjoying the Olympics as much as I am from here. It makes me a little teary to watch and think I was just there only a couple of weeks ago and wish I still was. May both our countries win many medals.

Thank you once again for all your help and perhaps I may take another trip back to beautiful Greece again in the future.

yours truly,

Diane Stairs

Thank you for your excellent website.
Looking at the photos brought back many happy memories.
Like many people I have discovered Rhodes and have fallen in love with the
island and it's people.
One day I will live on Rhodes, probably in Lardos. Until then I will visit
every year and in between use your website to transport me to this magical
island.
Thanks once more.
Ed Harvey

Hi Matt,

I wanted toi thank you again for a great website. I used it to plan my trip in 2003 and used it again to plan my trip for next spring. Maybe I was just lucky. but everything on my first trip worked out exactky as planned, due to your excellent info. What you didn't really warn people about was that travelling to Greece would become addictive!

Thanks again,

Jon M.
Boston, MA

P.S. I sent along a copy of my book "In Kithairon's Shadow" a few months ago, and was wondering if you had a chance to read it yet?

Hi Matt--

I wanted to let you know how invaluable your site has become as I plan our
shore excursions to various Greek islands. I don't want to get on a big bus
with the rest of the herd from the cruise ship, so seeing your photos and
reading your narrative really has helped me narrow down our list of choices.
I've spent hours on the web looking for just this exact type of information.

Before I forget, you are a fantastic photographer!

Thanks again!
Teri

Dear Matt,

Thank you so very much for your great website about Greece. We (family of 5) visited Sept 2-18 and took great advantage of your advise. We used a travel agent from Dolphin Hellas for the Athens/Delphi and ferry parts of our trip, and Ana K. for the Lesvos part. We had George's son Dennis pick us up at the airport in his big car (a great way to ease in, but after that took the metro or busses everywhere for budget & adventure reasons). We used your web pages for specific ideas too (& in the house we rented near Molyvos in Lesvos someone had left a print-out of your Lesvos pages so it was great for us!).

THANK YOU!

The only bad part is we all miss Greece now very much.

Jennifer Freyd

Matt: We just returned from 3 1/2 weeks in Greece and took a printout of your comments on all the islands. It was most helpful. Although we did not always do all the things you recommended because of distance or time, we found it very helpful! Thanks.

We spent 2 days initially in Athens (crazy place), 4 nights in Mykonos, 4 nights in Santorini, 5 nights in Crete and 5 nights in Rhodes, then back to Athens for 2 more days before home to Canada.

The two things you did not have in your write-ups that I think tourists should know -

1) the ferry between Santorini and Rhodes was hell! People pushing and shoving and us with 4 weeks worth of luggage in tow - I thought I might murder before I got to Rhodes!!!

2) The valley of the butterflies was 3 euros to get in (although we did not pay - no one was in the little booth when we went in) and the season is over! I guess the butterflies are plentiful from June to mid September and we were there start of October.

Thanks for your articles. We loved Greece!!!

Eileen Hendry

Dear Matt,

My wife and I recently returned from a two week vacation on Naxos largely inspired by your website.

I just wanted to thank you and let you know that we followed your recommedations.

We bought our air tickets through David Ekonopoli and made most of our other travel arrangements through Fantasy travel. They were all superb- polite, responsive, flawless punctual, professional, a joy to work with.

We rented a house through vacationhomes.com "Naxos island getaway" that you might want to check out- it was a very pleasant "normal" greek house- up next to the Kastro - though not to everyone's taste.

We also found your information about Athens, the Acropolis and Naxos very useful and accurate which is more than I can say for the Lonely Planet guide. My sense was that much of their information was second hand and not verified, whereas you had clearly been to all the places you mentioned.

If you are on Naxos again I recommend you go to Aliko Bay, the beach is wonderful and the people at Faro's taverna were the friendliest we met in Greece and the cooking was great.

The only negative comment about your info I would have is that it made Naxos sound a lot less touristy and developed than it is. I'm sure it is no comparison to Mykonos or Santorini, but it is a busy bustling tourist town and regrettably we found the people in general pretty unfriendly and at times down-right rude.

So unfortunately we did not have the best of trips, the beaches were spectacular and the archaeological stuff was stupendous (Delos and the Acropolis), but we were kind of disappointed in general- my sense is that the mixed blessings of the tourist industry have once again changed the culture for the worse.

Nevertheless- your guide is outstanding- thank you for your knowledge and for sharing it-We could not have imagined going without it. I hope you make some money out of it.

Yours
Tony Mills

I just wanted to let you know that based on your advice, we booked a recent trip to Greece through Fantasy travel (Dina). The trip was wonderful with one small disappointment--the Naxos leg of the journey. Three outstanding hotels we stayed in were the Belvedere (Mykonos), Astra Apartments ( Santorini), and the airport hotel was a pleasant surprise, the Hotel Sofitel. The highlight of our trip in terms of restaurants was one called "Namos" in Mykonos.

Some warned us not to travel as late as we did (Oct.15-30). However, we had outstanding weather and things are a bit quieter. Some hotels and restaurants close down or are ready to close by Oct. 30 but I would recommend to anyone this as a great time to travel to Greece.

Dear Matt,

Just a note to let you know we took the from Mykonos and the train to Rion where we stayed at the Porto Rio. We spent a day in Patras, 3 days in Athens. The trip was wonderful and we LOVE Greece. The young people speak the most English and with their help we did just fine. The people are wonderful, the country is beautiful and when I left I had tears in my eyes.

Thank you for your site and your prompt answer.

Sincerely,

Marilynn Smith

Dear Matt,

Thank you so much for the wonderful site you�ve created.

I was on Crete this September and a week ago I was in Athens for some hours only unfortunately � much too short � so I definitely want to go again! We stayed at the Omega Hotel real close to Psiri and from our room on the 8^th floor we had the most wonderful view at the Akropoli! Today I discovered your TravelGuide(s) and I enjoyed surfing these pages very much, so please send me newsletters and any info you can provide! Thank you very much!

I really envy you for being able to stay in Greece so often!

I agree that Skala Eressos is one of the nicest places to stay in Greece, I was on Lesvos twice and for our graduation holiday we went to Skala Eressos in 1993 and I remember it as one of my best vacation, not only because it was for graduation!!! I have been looking for it since because I forgot the name of the place and today I found it finally again! So thank you again!!!

Kind Regards,
Karin

Hi there,

I just wanted to pass onto you my experience of absolute joy in reading your website - I traveled to Greece this past summer and I am due to travel to Greece again in 2006 (summer) for school. I wish I had found your website sooner - it's great!

I am interested in learning/speaking/writing Greek, and I have been able to use your website to do so (requested info for Anotek's Read and Speak Greek).

Well, keep up the good work and thanks for creating the site!

One of many Americans who has fallen in love with Greece, I am

Melissa Pocock

Dear Matt,

As a veteran traveler to Greece (some 28 times in the past 30 years), I enjoyed your adventures. We've made 3 Christmas trips (2002-2004), and just this year on Delta sat on the tarmac at JFK for 2 hours waiting for a hapless flight from DC that never made the connection. And when I read "lines as long as Tower Air..." I had to laugh, since of course, with that many trips and a finite budget, my husband and I wear the scars of many trips with Tower.

We could tell the story of the near riot on the return from Greece one year back in the 80's, on a flight that had originated in Tel Aviv. Our friends at Tower had used a simple algorithm for food service: passengers from Tel Aviv got a plastic-wrapped Kosher sandwich; from Athens we got a delicious moussaka with Greek salad and baklava. The shouting began: "I'm Jewish but not kosher! I'm kosher but want moussaka! I'm a priest and want moussaka!"

The stories never end...

Thanks for your web site. I'm happy to have found it today.

Regards and best wishes for the New Year,

Miriam Kotsonis

my name is anca and i just wanna say that u're right.. thessaloniki ia the COOLEST CITY IN GREECE..
i was so luky to live there 3 months...and i've enjoyed every moment...
thessaloniki is like an illness..u can't get away..i love it and i miss it...
and that;s why i love your page.
yours ,
anca

Matt

This feedback is late but I wanted you to know that our Honeymoon in Greece was wonderful and Mark Fitzsimmons of Aegean did a great job for us. We did stay at the Alexander for the first 3 days and it was a superb experience.

We also visited the jeweler you recommended in Athens and really enjoyed meeting Kosta. My husband purchased some exquisite jewelery for me based on a Minoan design.

Thanks again for you assistance and your wonderful website. Just now I am sending it to two friends who will visit Greece this year.

Sarla Matsumura

Dear Mr. Matt Barrett,

For last couple of days I have been on your website, and suddenly realist how much I miss this beautiful Country Greece and the island`s, and the warm hearts of the Greek people.

My name Flemming and I am from Denmark, and I have been working on three contracts in Greece for Danish Travel Agencies, one season on Poros, Naxos, Crete, right now I am working in the former USSR, and is planning to get back to Greece for work and living there if I can.

However Matt I would just like you to know, that your website is the best I have seen so far on the internet, it is easy to get around on the website, beautiful pictures and texts.

Thank you very much for bringing all the good times and days spend in Greece back to me.

Thanks

Flemming Christensen
General Manager
Group 4 Securitas
59/4 Neftchilar Avenue
AZ 1010 Baku, Azerbaijan

I know that you must get a few of these, but all I really want to say is Thank You..

I know that the time and effort you must expend on this site is enormous and yet you have not commercialised what you have done, are you mad or just contented?

Anyway, I would like to know more about Rembetika, but I will admit to being nieve here,I do think you can help me?

That said, I love Athens � it�s a sprawling mess and yet it has the stain of antiquity running right through its soul.

Thanks for your amazing sight. My fiancee' and I have been using it to plan for our honeymoon in June. We're going to Santorini(no surprise). I was there twenty years ago, ten years ago and look forward to it once again. Your site has been so helpful. Thanks again and again.

John

Dear Matt: Thanks so much for your reply. I am going to take the ferry to Paros, probably Blue Star, unless the sea is very calm that day (in which case I may go for the Dolphin), and if I make it in time from Athens Airport. Your various websites have been invaluable to me over the last 5 months as I plan my June trip to Greece (my first time). I am taking your restaurant recommendations along, am staying at one of your listed hotels in Athens, I love the pix you posted, etc., etc., etc. In short, I think I am embarking on this trip in a much more enlightened state because of you. Hearty thanks!

Suzanne

Thanks very much for putting me on your list. Oh, and yes, I loved your feature on Easter in Poros. I had the great good fortune to make my first visit to Greece last October....and we were based in Poros for 5 and a half days. What a great time we had, and we left with more to see in that area....so...I am looking forward to returning there some day. Greece knocked me out, and not a day goes by that I don't think of Greece and when I can return to explore more of that magnificent and beautiful country. I want to see it all, and your web site is one of my primary references....and the best for the Greek Islands. Thank you for all the time and energy you have put into creating a superb website.

Sincerely,

Marion

Hello,

Just wanted to relate how much we like your Greek
movie website and how grateful we are to you for it.
Cheers...

Nikoz

Hey Matt, My girlfriend and I are going to Greece and the Greek Isles (Santorini, Mykonos and Ios) from July 31 to August 16th and have found your website very, very helpful. I have actually printed out many of the pages and put them in a 3 ring binder as a reference for when we are actually mapping out our itinerary at our hotels. I just wanted to let you know that you are doing the two of us a great service by putting all of this on the internet for inexperienced Greek travelers like ourselves. I just wanted to say thank you. I did have one question though; how updated is a lot of this information such as the dining, hotspots, etc etc etc.???? Thanks!

dear Matt,

I am not a famous person who has ,or has not, stayed at the Hotel GB. But I am a Matt Barrett groupie, I just love your writing

and I have spent many a cold evening chuckling over your web pages. You are a brilliant writer.

I first came across you several years ago by reading your article about Agistri which i thought was very funny, even if Bryan ( from the club ) didn't !

I've just been reading your review of the GB hotel as we may be sending some richer than us cousins there. ( before they get the boat out to Bryans and see how real people live on holiday.......have you ever stayed at the club / Have you ever seen Fawlty Towers ?? )

I hope your mother in law is well and is continuing to give you plenty of stuff to write about.

I hope the weather in North Carolina is bearable ( or are you in Greece now ? ) I write to a guy in prison in Raleigh so I am quite interested in NC. Going back to Agistri in September, just can't seem to go anywhere else! Bryan administers something in the food or drink and that's it,a bit like Hotel California, you can check out but never leave etc etc.

We did get to Hydra once, but only went to the official Bryan approved places, except we ate once in a non Bryan approved establishment and it was a bit rubbishy, which taught us a lesson.We will never again stray from the path of Bryan .

Cheers Jilly

PS Do you like Bruce Springsteen ?

Greece Travel: Travelers Reviews